Handgun reloading newbie

billiam915 · December 6, 2007, 09:08 PM

I just bought a Ruger Blackhawk convertible in .357/9mm. i am looking for a good single stage press for reloading these calibers, not to mention .38 special, since the gun will shoot all three. i have been reloading shotshells for many years now. but had never loaded handgun or rifle cases.

any recommendations? also, whats a good .357 load for wild pig?

**Shane Tuttle** · December 6, 2007, 09:28 PM

Lee Challenger will fit the bill just fine for the budget minded. Don't let the price fool you. It will do whatever you need in those calibers and have plenty left over for other tools...

RockChucker makes a beast of a press in the $100 range or so. Haven't priced one lately, but ballpark anyway....

I have used both quite a bit and don't have any issues with either...

amamnn · December 7, 2007, 06:54 PM

Just a word of warning. If you are planning to shoot .38 special ammo in the same cylinder that you shoot .357 mag ammo from, you will want to invest in a some heavy duty lead and copper cleaning products to remove the residue from your chamber. If you find the .357 loads too heavy, you might want to try using a fast powder like w231 to load .357 mag as there will be less felt recoil. Double charging is a risk when doing that, though. A lot of the CAS competitors I know here are using Trailboss in their .357 loads. They say it has a lot of bulk but still yields a light recoil.

BigJimP · December 7, 2007, 07:55 PM

I think I'd recommend you take a look at the RCBS offerings if you really want a single stage operation / but for the money I'd recommend you take a look at the Dillon Square Deal B for pistil calibers ( its a lot of press for the money at $ 320 ) and I don't know how much you intend to shoot but most of us go thru a lot more ammo than we would want to load on a single stage operation and the square deal B will easily do 5 or 6 boxes an hour.

fourrobert13 · December 7, 2007, 09:26 PM

Lee classic cast, or classic cast turret.

Slamfire · December 8, 2007, 01:08 PM

For a first time press, buy a single stage made out of cast iron. If you are looking for used presses, the better presses were made of cast iron. If you buy a brand name, RCBS, Lyman, Hornady, they all are good. If you can pick up a used RCBS Rockchucker, that is a fine one. A press can be devoid of all paint, rust on the ram, but guess what, it will work!

If you are thinking about the used market, look for presses with compound leverage, they will work better with rifle cartridges if that is in your future. I picked up a almost new RCBS junior press at a gun show for $35.00. That press will work just fine with straight wall pistol rounds, and if you don't like it, you will get more money for it at a scrap yard for the cast iron. There are lots of 60's vintage Lyman Spartan and RCBS junior presses, made of cast iron, but they don't have the compound leverage link that all modern presses have. I don't know why either.

Always with a used press, make sure it comes with a primer cup. On vintage presses, the cup is harder to find than the press.

Sport45 · December 9, 2007, 01:37 AM

Watch eBay for reloading presses like this one. Then get Lee 3-die sets in .38 spcl and 9mm. (You can load .357 in a .38 die set, but not always the other way around as a .38 won't reach the crimping area of some .357 dies.) I suggest Lee dies because they are good and come with the correct shell holder.

Also get a Lee Autoprime (comes with all the standard shell holders) and if you don't allready have them get a good scale and a cheap digital caliper.

Last, but far from least, get a reloading book. Lee's Modern Reloading is a good one, but any will do. Search eBay for "reloading book". Load data can be easily found online from just about all the powder manufacturers.

Can't help you much with the pig hunting, but I imagine a 180gr soft point with a healthy dose of H-110 or 2400 would do the trick. How big are the pigs?

billiam915 · December 9, 2007, 06:26 AM

i took one with my .50 blue ridge rifle at 60 yards and it weighed 174 undressed. I think i 180gr should do the trick.

ForneyRider · December 26, 2007, 06:18 PM

I use my Blackhawk in .41 Mag for ferral hog.

My load is Nosler 210gr JHP with some H110 (20-22gr), in the ~1400-1650fps region with Federal Match large pistol magnum primers.

I recommend a similar load at 180gr JHP and less H110. This is for relatively short distance.

If you want to shoot further out, say >50 yards, I recommend a SWC (semi-wadcutter) or JSP (jacketed soft point) in 158gr for flatter trajectory.

Steve's Pages has this to show for .357 Magnum
158gr.
http://stevespages.com/357_1_158.html
H-110 From 8.6 grains to 17.7 grains CCI-550 Primer

180gr:
http://stevespages.com/357_1_180.html
H-110 From 7.9 grains to 13.5 grains CCI-550 Primer

Sport45 · December 27, 2007, 02:18 AM

That looks like an awful large spread for H110 loads. For the 158gr load the minimum load is only 50% of the maximum load. I didn't think Hodgdon recommended reducing H110 that much.

jsflagstad · December 27, 2007, 09:41 AM

+ 1 on the Lee presses and dies. As for hogs, I'd work up a good load with a 180 grain soft point. The Blackhawk is a sturdy weapon and will take a pretty healthy load.

jsf

December 6, 2007, 09:08 PM	#1
billiam915 Junior Member Join Date: January 14, 2005 Posts: 10	Handgun reloading newbie I just bought a Ruger Blackhawk convertible in .357/9mm. i am looking for a good single stage press for reloading these calibers, not to mention .38 special, since the gun will shoot all three. i have been reloading shotshells for many years now. but had never loaded handgun or rifle cases. any recommendations? also, whats a good .357 load for wild pig?

December 6, 2007, 09:28 PM	#2
Shane Tuttle Staff Join Date: November 28, 2005 Location: Montana Posts: 9,455	Lee Challenger will fit the bill just fine for the budget minded. Don't let the price fool you. It will do whatever you need in those calibers and have plenty left over for other tools... RockChucker makes a beast of a press in the $100 range or so. Haven't priced one lately, but ballpark anyway.... I have used both quite a bit and don't have any issues with either... __________________ If it were up to me, the word "got" would be deleted from the English language. Posting and YOU: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/posting

December 9, 2007, 01:37 AM	#7
Sport45 Senior Member Join Date: May 26, 1999 Location: Too close to Houston Posts: 4,196	Watch eBay for reloading presses like this one. Then get Lee 3-die sets in .38 spcl and 9mm. (You can load .357 in a .38 die set, but not always the other way around as a .38 won't reach the crimping area of some .357 dies.) I suggest Lee dies because they are good and come with the correct shell holder. Also get a Lee Autoprime (comes with all the standard shell holders) and if you don't allready have them get a good scale and a cheap digital caliper. Last, but far from least, get a reloading book. Lee's Modern Reloading is a good one, but any will do. Search eBay for "reloading book". Load data can be easily found online from just about all the powder manufacturers. Can't help you much with the pig hunting, but I imagine a 180gr soft point with a healthy dose of H-110 or 2400 would do the trick. How big are the pigs? __________________ Proud member of the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association. Registered and active voter.

December 26, 2007, 06:18 PM	#9
ForneyRider Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2007 Location: Forney, TX Posts: 725	I use my Blackhawk in .41 Mag for ferral hog. My load is Nosler 210gr JHP with some H110 (20-22gr), in the ~1400-1650fps region with Federal Match large pistol magnum primers. I recommend a similar load at 180gr JHP and less H110. This is for relatively short distance. If you want to shoot further out, say >50 yards, I recommend a SWC (semi-wadcutter) or JSP (jacketed soft point) in 158gr for flatter trajectory. Steve's Pages has this to show for .357 Magnum 158gr. http://stevespages.com/357_1_158.html H-110 From 8.6 grains to 17.7 grains CCI-550 Primer 180gr: http://stevespages.com/357_1_180.html H-110 From 7.9 grains to 13.5 grains CCI-550 Primer Last edited by ForneyRider; December 26, 2007 at 06:22 PM. Reason: Steve's Pages

December 27, 2007, 02:18 AM	#10
Sport45 Senior Member Join Date: May 26, 1999 Location: Too close to Houston Posts: 4,196	That looks like an awful large spread for H110 loads. For the 158gr load the minimum load is only 50% of the maximum load. I didn't think Hodgdon recommended reducing H110 that much. __________________ Proud member of the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association. Registered and active voter.

December 7, 2007, 06:54 PM	#3
amamnn Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2006 Location: WA, the left armpit of the USA Posts: 1,323	Just a word of warning. If you are planning to shoot .38 special ammo in the same cylinder that you shoot .357 mag ammo from, you will want to invest in a some heavy duty lead and copper cleaning products to remove the residue from your chamber. If you find the .357 loads too heavy, you might want to try using a fast powder like w231 to load .357 mag as there will be less felt recoil. Double charging is a risk when doing that, though. A lot of the CAS competitors I know here are using Trailboss in their .357 loads. They say it has a lot of bulk but still yields a light recoil.

December 7, 2007, 07:55 PM	#4
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I think I'd recommend you take a look at the RCBS offerings if you really want a single stage operation / but for the money I'd recommend you take a look at the Dillon Square Deal B for pistil calibers ( its a lot of press for the money at $ 320 ) and I don't know how much you intend to shoot but most of us go thru a lot more ammo than we would want to load on a single stage operation and the square deal B will easily do 5 or 6 boxes an hour.

December 7, 2007, 09:26 PM	#5
fourrobert13 Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2005 Location: South West Ohio Posts: 336	Lee classic cast, or classic cast turret.

December 8, 2007, 01:08 PM	#6
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	For a first time press, buy a single stage made out of cast iron. If you are looking for used presses, the better presses were made of cast iron. If you buy a brand name, RCBS, Lyman, Hornady, they all are good. If you can pick up a used RCBS Rockchucker, that is a fine one. A press can be devoid of all paint, rust on the ram, but guess what, it will work! If you are thinking about the used market, look for presses with compound leverage, they will work better with rifle cartridges if that is in your future. I picked up a almost new RCBS junior press at a gun show for $35.00. That press will work just fine with straight wall pistol rounds, and if you don't like it, you will get more money for it at a scrap yard for the cast iron. There are lots of 60's vintage Lyman Spartan and RCBS junior presses, made of cast iron, but they don't have the compound leverage link that all modern presses have. I don't know why either. Always with a used press, make sure it comes with a primer cup. On vintage presses, the cup is harder to find than the press.

December 9, 2007, 06:26 AM	#8
billiam915 Junior Member Join Date: January 14, 2005 Posts: 10	i took one with my .50 blue ridge rifle at 60 yards and it weighed 174 undressed. I think i 180gr should do the trick.

December 27, 2007, 09:41 AM	#11
jsflagstad Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2005 Location: Up Nort Posts: 419	+ 1 on the Lee presses and dies. As for hogs, I'd work up a good load with a 180 grain soft point. The Blackhawk is a sturdy weapon and will take a pretty healthy load. jsf